Terri Osburn Winner

The winner of a copy of MEANT TO BE by Terri Osburn is:

Sharlene (another Sharlene!)

Congratulations!  Please email us at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com to let us know if you would like a print or e-copy of the book.  If choosing print, please send your full name and mailing address.

Today's Special - - Terri Osburn

I can't put into words how excited I am to welcome debut author, Terri Osburn to The Romance Dish today.  I met Terri online more than seven years ago and have since had the opportunity to meet her in person at various conferences.  She's a gifted writer and those of us who have watched her travel this journey have known that it was only a matter of time before she published her first book.  I am so happy to say that day is finally here.  Meant to Be is a wonderful story; funny, heartwarming and worthy of your time.  I hope you'll give it a try.  (read my review here)  

Born in the Ohio Valley, Terri relocated below the Mason Dixon line in the early 1990s after experiencing three blizzards in eighteen months. Seeking warmer climes, she landed in Nashville, did a stint in Arkansas, and eventually moved to the East Coast, where she settled near the ocean. Reading has always been a passion in her life, with Romance her chosen genre, but it wasn’t until 2007 she endeavored to write her own. Five years and many pages later, in 2012, she was named a finalist in the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® contest. An agent and contract soon followed. Terri resides in Virginia with a teenager, a Yorkipoo, and two fat and happy tabbies. To learn more about this author and her work, visit her website at www.terriosburn.com.

A Tour of Anchor Island

My name is Terri Osburn and I'll be your tour guide for today. Please make sure your seat belt is fastened and keep all hands, toes, and noses in the blog at all time. Today we're taking in the sights of Anchor Island, North Carolina. A remote island at the base of the Outer Banks, Anchor is known for its pirate lore, impressive lighthouse, and diminutive size.

As I mentioned, the island is remote, so we'll take the ferry across, then Highway 12 down to the village. On your left is the ocean, with the sound on your right. This stretch of roadway is more like a landing strip, but it makes for beautiful scenery in every direction. Oh, how could I forget the wild horses? Not as wild as they used to be, penned in for their own safety, but still beautiful beasts.

Now we drift into the village, passing Blackbeard's Museum on your right. The feared pirate spent the last months of his life in this area. Did you know Mr. Teach (Blackbeard's given name) was a pirate for only two years? Fascinating when you think of the legend he created.

And now we're in Anchor Village proper. First up is Dempsey's Bar & Grill.  I know some of you are on this tour thanks to a little book called MEANT TO BE by, well, moi. In that case, you know that by venturing inside you might find a cranky charter boat captain and a spunky lawyer-type sending off sparks in the dining room. Yes, Joe Dempsey and Beth Chandler are quite a pair. And we mustn't forget Joe's dog, Dozer. Such a scene stealer, that one.

But we must keep the blog going, so no stops just yet. As we cruise along Back Road, there's the Hava Java ahead. Lovely little spot to get your caffeine fix. One could say the best espresso in town, but in a village this small, one mile across and two miles long, it's the only espresso in town.

Now we see the quaint little arts and crafts store run by Lola LeBlanc where Beth spends much of her time, and learns to once again enjoy making jewelry. This is the beautiful bracelet she made using blue beads that reminded her of Joe's eyes. Don't worry about the swooners among you. We get that all the time. There's just something about a man with intense blue eyes. Have I mentioned the dimple? Oh, there goes another one. I'd better not mention the abs.

A quick left brings us around the harbor. We can't possibly take the blog out to Joe's boat, but know it's docked right out there on your right. Ah, and now we've reached the pinnacle of the tour. Anchor Lighthouse. Built in the 1820s, it's guided many a sailor through these unpredictable seas. And maybe it helped Beth find her way as well.

There's more to see, of course, but this is the condensed tour today. But to give you an idea of how the sightseeing went when Joe took Beth on a similar tour, here's a little snippet from the book.

As soon as he killed the engine, Beth’s feet were on the ground. At the back of the vehicle she turned to Joe, still sit­ting behind the wheel.

“Are you coming?”

“I’ll stay here with Doze. You go on over.”

“Oh. All right then.”

Joe took a seat on the back gate of the Jeep and barely noticed Dozer panting in his ear. Beth’s white skirt, what there was of it, swung from side to side, then tightened across her ass as she climbed onto the plat­form. So much for thinking distance would put his body back in check.

“She’s hiding something all right. But she’s not hiding it in that skirt.”

Dozer barked.

“Right. Eyes off the skirt. Got it.”

As I said, that Dozer is a total scene stealer. Now it's your turn to wander around on your own. Feel free to ask questions if you like, or just make small talk, as one lucky commenter will win a copy of MEANT TO BE (digital or print, winner's choice, US and Canada only.)

PS: If you're interested in visiting the real thing, Anchor Island is inspired by (read: copied directly from) Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Looking to get away from the world this summer? I highly recommend checking it out.

Sometimes the next best thing is what you’ve been looking for all along…

Beth Chandler has spent her whole life pleasing others. She went to law school to make her grandparents happy. She agreed to marry her workaholic boyfriend, Lucas, to make him happy. And, despite her fear of boats, she took a ferry to see Lucas’s parents just to make them happy.

While suffering through a panic attack on the ferry, Beth meets a tall, sexy stranger who talks her down from her fear—and makes her heart flutter in the process. Soon, she has a new reason to panic: her gorgeous, blue-eyed rescuer is Lucas’s brother, Joe.

But could she ever leave her fiancé for his own brother…even if Lucas is more focused on making partner than on making their relationship work…and even if Joe turns out to be everything she never knew she wanted?

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Review - - Meant to Be

Meant to Be
Anchor Island - Book 1
By Terri Osburn
Publisher:  Montlake Romance
Release Date:  May 21, 2013

What happens when you finally meet the love of your life and he turns out to be your fiancé's older brother?

Elizabeth Chandler has spent her life pleasing other people and living other people's dreams.  She's a lawyer because that's the respectable career path the grandparents who raised her wanted for her.  Her workaholic fiancé has no idea what she likes or dislikes because he makes all the decisions in their relationship right down to the type of wine she drinks and music she listens to and because it makes him happy, she lets him.   She's suppressed every ounce of young Beth Chandler's creativity and zest for life in an effort to be what everyone expects her to be.  But that's all about to change.

Only for Lucas Dempsey would Elizabeth Chandler, a woman deathly afraid of the water, be on a ferry to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to meet her new fiancé's family.  Lucas was supposed to be with her but, once again, the law office where they both work has taken priority and left Elizabeth to make the crossing on her own.  She's in the midst of a full-blown panic attack when an over-sized dog and his gorgeous owner come to her rescue.  Charmed in spite of herself, by both this man and his dog, she introduces herself as Beth and allows herself to secretly indulge in the instant attraction she feels to this calm, sexy man with the adorable dimple.  Then she discovers he's her future brother-in-law.

Joe Dempsey has a mental image of the woman his younger step-brother is bringing home and it sure isn't a sweet, sexy young woman who makes his own pulse race.  They get off on the wrong foot and the instant attraction that sparks between them doesn't help matters but gradually, as they get to know one another, their feelings begin to shift and then deepen though they both fight it.  Joe loves his brother, even if he doesn't understand him or approve of the way he puts Beth last on his list of priorities.  He's not about to poach on his territory.  As wrong as he may feel Beth is for Lucas, and as right as he feels she is for him, he has too much honor to come between them, no matter how much he grows to care for her.  And Beth, no matter how much she comes to care for Joe, is not about to do anything to harm the members of the Dempsey family who have come to mean so much to her.  With the odds stacked against them, does this couple have any chance of a happy ending?

First of all, let me say that love triangles are one of my least favorite romance tropes but this story is written in such a way that I'm okay with the situation.  Once Elizabeth arrives on the island and begins to re-discover, as Beth, the person she is truly meant to be, it's obvious that she and workaholic Lucas would be a terrible match.  It also helps that the author keeps Lucas in Richmond and contact between them to a minimum, placing the focus of the story on Beth's journey of self-discovery and the developing relationship between her and Joe.  I also appreciated the fact that, in spite of their growing feelings for one another, both Joe and Beth have too much honor to betray Lucas.  And while I don't feel Lucas is the right brother for Beth, Osburn doesn't make him a jerk, just a man with some misplaced priorities.  It's my understanding that he will find his happy ending in the next Anchor Island book and that makes me very happy.

This is a debut book but you'd never guess it.  Terri Osburn writes with the skill of a seasoned veteran, drawing the reader into the heart of her characters and the small island they inhabit and making us care about them.  While there is plenty of humor and lighthearted banter, both Beth and Joe are complex characters with a depth of emotion that is slowly and skillfully revealed throughout the course of the book.  A rich cast of secondary characters add to that depth.  Particular favorites are Miss Lola, a spritely senior citizen with important lessons to impart, Dozer, a floppy-tongued dog that stole my heart - and Beth's - and Sid, a smart-mouthed but gorgeous woman, slowly learning to embrace her femininity, who ( I hope) is destined to lead Lucas a merry chase in the next Anchor Island story.  I can't wait!

I've known Terri Osburn for a number of years and watched her grow as a writer over that time.  Even though she's a friend, the process I followed in reviewing this book is the same as that for every book I read and I was fair and honest in my comments.

I'm delighted to say that I highly recommend this book.  It's sitting on my keeper shelf where I'm sure it will be re-visited.  Do yourself a favor and take a trip to Anchor Island through the pages of Meant to Be.

~PJ

Have you discovered any good debut authors lately?

What books will you be taking to the beach, pool or backyard this summer?  

Do you have a favorite place to read in the summer?  Is it different from where you read the rest of the year?

One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment will receive a Kindle version of Meant to Be. 

Today's Special - - Terri Osburn

I'm so excited to welcome Terri Osburn to The Romance Dish today.  Terri and I first met several years ago at the Eloisa James bulletin board...or maybe at Squawk Radio.  We frequented both venues so it's hard to tell which was our first meeting.  Since then, I've watch Terri transition from a loyal romance reader to a popular blogger to a Golden Heart® finalist.  I have complete confidence that it's only a matter of time until we welcome her here as a published author!  


Terri has been reading Romance for more than twenty-five years and writing her own stories for the last five. She is a 2012 Golden Heart® finalist in the Contemporary Single Title category, a PRO member of RWA, and is represented by Nalini Akolekar of Spencerhill Associates.  She lives on the coast of Virginia with her teenage daughter, two fat cats, and one hyper Yorkie-poo. She also blogs with a group of aspiring/published authors aboard the Romance Writers Revenge sailing the stormy publishing seas with little more than a wish and a whistle. Find out more about Terri at her website.

A Reader's Ultimate Fantasy
by Terri Osburn

I've been reading Romance for almost three decades. For all that time, writers have been my rock stars. Back in 2006 when I stumbled onto Eloisa James' bulletin board late on a Friday night, I had no idea what that one click would mean. I just knew I could talk directly to this author I'd adored for years and she actually talked back.

How cool is that??

I didn't know what a blog was. Had never heard of Romance Writers of America® (RWA). Didn't even know there were awards for Romance novels let alone one for books yet to be published. But I caught on quick.

Thanks to other members of that bulletin board, I got the itch to write my own novels. At first it was just for fun. "Let me see if I can do this" rolled into "I'll never be good enough to get published, but I could still have fun with it" which slid right into "I'd kind of like to be published." 

Six years later I'm up for a Golden Heart® award, which according to the RWA website "promote[s] excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding romance manuscripts." That's me with an outstanding manuscript. How about that?

The accolades that come with this recognition are huge. First off, just becoming a finalist is the win. To actually have my name called on July 28^th at the big awards ceremony in Anaheim, CA would be the delectable frosting on a killer cupcake. Becoming part of this class of 2012, which we've affectionately titled The Firebirds, is like landing in the middle of a hot tub filled with Buffie's hot bods and suddenly looking like Angelina Jolie.

Yeah, it's that good.

But the real fantasy, other than landing an amazing agent (waves to Nalini!) and being within smelling distance of selling, is that now I get to hang out with those rock stars. Some of them even act like I'm one of their ilk. Not a rock star, of course, but a writer. Authors I've watched turn out best seller after best seller have emailed me. ME!

They offer their congratulations, their wisdom, and their support. I've always known that Romance authors are the coolest people on the planet, but now I get to stand around with them and pretend I'm one of them. And they aren't tossing me out and bolting the door. Crazy. Crazy I tell you!

This is the ultimate fantasy for a Romance reader. It's like being a music lover and suddenly landing a job with Rolling Stone. Or a movie buff and being asked to sit front row at the Oscars. And attend all the parties! (We must not forget the parties.) If anyone ever ventures to create the ultimate fantasy getaway for Romance readers, just give them the Golden Heart® experience.

Talk about the trip of a lifetime.

Have you ever considered writing a Romance? Ever met your favorite author? Who and when, tell us all about it. Is there an author you're dying to meet? Give them a shout out today and maybe they'll pop up in your neck of the words on their next book tour.


Thanks for blogging with us today, Terri and best wishes for "Meant to Be!"  


Here's the blurb from "Meant to Be," Terri's unpublished manuscript that's a finalist for the Golden Heart®.

"Meant to Be" - finalist in the Contemporary Single Title Category

Lifelong people-pleaser Beth Chandler will do anything to make a good impression on her future in-laws, including defy her fear of boats to make the ferry crossing required to meet them.  Lucky for her, a lovable mutt and his tall, sexy, blue-eyed owner provide enough distraction to subdue her paralyzing panic attack. But Beth's human tranquilizer turns out to be her future brother-in-law, Joe Dempsey, and their instant attraction is both unwelcome and undeniable.

When a demanding case pulls her fiancé back to the city, Beth begins to realize he's already married – to his work. Are solitary nights and mind-numbing dinner parties really what she wants for her future? Torn between loyalty to Lucas and her growing feelings for Joe, Beth begins to rethink her choices and consider a future different from the one laid out before her. One including an island, a dog, and a man she can never have.

I don't know about the rest of you but I can't wait to read the whole story!

~PJ